Automobile signaling apparatus.



l. L. GAYER.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.16, 1912.

Patented 1390.16, 1913.

LUSSS.

Zzivez for 45 'electrical -r s i l .e orsi JOSEPH L. YEE, 0F CHCG, LLXNOIS UTOMQBLE SIGNELJNG EPARTUS.

Specification of Lettera Patent.

raten-teo nee. io, isis.

application area october ie, 1912. semi no. mao/io.

To alt whom t may concern:

Bc it known that l, Josnrn L. Craven, a citizen ot' the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook7 State of illinois, have inventedI certain new and u'seful Improvements in Automobile Signaling i-pparatuses, of which the following is a specification.

'lhe main objects of this invention are to l@ ,provide an improved signaling apparatus adapted to be carried by motor propelled ,vehicles 'for 'the purpose ot' indicating in t `advance to pedestrians and others the direction in which the operator of the vehicle iwfintends to turn at. the next crossing and adapted to also give a corresponding indication to vehicles approaching from behind; to provide a device of this class in which i the front signal is of such character that it Xwill be unniistakably understood by pedestrians without. requiring t-hat the latter be familiar with a prearran ed code; and to provide a device of this c iaracter in which the rear signal device may be a simple ar rangement of lights comprising or associated with the tail light ot' a vehicle.

rl`he present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in a t'orin which is suitable for use on a rnotor driven vehicle,

:so such as an automobile,

Figure l is a top plan showing the general arrangement of the signaling appara.- tus as applied to an automobile; Fig. is a Jfront elevation of the front. signaling device; Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a suit-- `able arrange ent of electric connections; Fig. l is a detail illustrating a snitable'arrangement of contacts in the electrical circuits; Fig. 5 is a face view of the dial or" the lo indicator.

-ln the forni shown in the drawings the apparatus comprises a front signaling device A, a rear signaling device B, and a controlling device C, together with suitable connections tor operating the lights of the front and rear signaling devices.

The front signaling device A comprises a supporting frame l, which is arranged to be attached to the iront of the radiator or engine hood of an automobile, and which hasmounted therein a rotatable hollow sign casing 2 having three transparent panels which are provided with characters which can be plainly read from the front to indicate a proposed changein the direction of addition to the words Right and Left the signs shall also be provided with arrows pointing in those directions. The interior of the *using 2 is illuminated by means of one or more electric lamps, represented in the drawings by the lamp 4, and it is also provided wi h suitable operating mechanism which will be .ereinater described, whereby it may be rotated to bring different sign panels to the front.

'lhe rear signal device comprises a suitable support upon which are n'ounted three lamps arranged in a row side by side, the middle lamp being preferably a red light to serve the function of the ordinary tail light, and at each side thereof are white or other colored lights G and 7, of such color as to be clearly distinguishable from the red light 5.

Conveniently located near the operator of the vehicle7 as for instance on the dashboard. there is mounted the controlling device U, which, in 'the forni shown, is a dial S and an arin t) provided with a handle whereby it may be rotated7 and also provided with a pointer which coacts with the dial to indicate the position of the handle. and also the signal indications 'for which it is set; for example` when the handle is in the rei-t" 'al plane the pointer will point to Si, signifying that the signal indicates Straight ahead.7 lit the handle is thrown to the lett or right it will point to a corresponding symbol on the dial. Suitable meansy are also provided to assist in the quick and accurate setting ot' the handle7 such means boing indl as a spring pressed detent 10. enacting with notches il in the peri'lihery of a huh or disk on the sha ft which carries thearrn 9. arm 9 is connected by a shaft 12 to the inechanisin which rotates the casing Q, which, in the torni shown, isa train of gears.

rl`he electrical connections are indicated in Figs. 3 and el, and comprise, besides the lamps il, 5, 6, and?, a battery 13, a cnt out switch l-t, a row of stationary brushes l5, 16, and l?, and circuit making and breaking contacts carried by the casing 2. `The casing 2 is carried by a pair ot' stationary shafts 18 at its opposite ends, and these are The' ated in the drawings Cil the casing is in position to indicate that the vehicle will turn to the left.. The contacts for accomplishing this result may consist of a slip ring 19 carried by the casing 2 and coacting withnthe stationary b rush 15. The light 6 is connected in circuit with the battery 13, by means of the brush 16 and a contact 20 carried by the casing 2, and adapted to engage the brush 1li when the corresponding panel of the casing 2 faces to the iront. The contact. 20 is in circuit with the slip ring 19, as is illustrated diagianirnatically by the conductor 21. Similarly a contact 2:2, also connected to the slip ring 19, engages the brush 17 and completes the circuit through the lamp 7 when the corresponding panel of thecasing Q faces to the front. lt is obvious that a similar result might be obtained by having the contacts, which control the various circuits, arranged to be controlled directly by the handle t), but it is preferred to have the'contacts within the casing 2, since such an arrangement prevents any likelihood o1" mistakes in re-assembling the parts of the signaling apparatus in case its gearing he temporarily disconnected for the purpose of repair, and also avoids the necessity of providing a separate housing for the contacts.

The operation of the device shown is as follows: As long as the operator of the vehicle intends to drive straight ahead he allows the handle 9 to remain with the indicator at S, which corresponds to the position of the casing 2 which indicates Straight ahead and which cuts out both of the rear signal lights 6 and 7 leaving only the tail light 5 visible. When the operator approaches a corner at which he intends to turn, he throws the lever 9 toward the light (3 or 7, as the case may be,rto glow,

and thereby also gives warning to a vehicle approaching from the rear not tov pass on the side towardv which the signaling vehicle will turn.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spiritA of this invention. as defined by the following claims.

VI claim:

1. The combination with a vehicle, of a front signal device adapted to be set to indicate in advance changes in the course of the` vehicle and a rear signal device compris!A ing a series of tail lights adapted to be displayed in different arrangements to indicate changes in the direction of the vehicle corresponding to those of lsaid. front signal device, means controlled from the seat of the operator for operating said front signal device, and a series of electrical contacts controlling said tail lights and being movable through the act o changing .the indication of said front signal device.'

2. The combination 4with a vehicle, of a front signal. device adapted to be set to indicate in advance changes in the course of the vehicle and a rear signal device\com prising a series of tail lights adaptedto be displayed in different arrangementshtondicatc' changes in the directionwof the ve hicle corresponding to those of said fqnt signal device, means controlled from the seat of the operator for operating said front?` *l signal device, said front signal device being provided with electrical contacts 'for controlling said tail lights through 1novements of said front signal'device. l

Signed at Chicago this 12th dayof OC- tober 1912.

JOSEPH L. CAYER. Witnesses y EUGENE A. RUMMLER, EDWIN PHELPs. 

